Feeding device for dough-rolling machines.



W. EHRHART. FEEDING DEVICE FOR DOUGH ROLLING MACHINES. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 12. 1914.

1,1 58,908. Patented Nov. 2, 1915.

ATTORNEYS WILLIAM nnnnanm or LA..NGA:S T ER, PENNSYLVANIA.

FEEDTNG DEVICE FOR DOUGH-ROLLING MACHINES.

7 Application filed October 12, 1914. Serial at. 886,245.

. ful Feeding Device for Dough-Rolling Mathe invention may be used.

chines, of which the following is a specification. l My invention consists of an improved machine for feeding dough in strips, such as for instance in pretzel-machines, in which the. stiff dough will freely .pass from the hopper to the feed-helix. r a

It further consists of such a feeder in which the feed-helix will carry all the dough with it and not leave portions in the ma chine to become sour. p

It-further consists of such a feeder which may be easily dismantled for cleaning it and be easily assembled. It further consists of other novel features of construction, all as will be hereinafter fully set forth.

The annexed drawing and the following description set forth in detail onemechanical form embodying the invention, such detail construction being but one of various mechanical forms in which the principle of In said annexed drawingsFigure trepresents a side view of my improved feeder. Fig. 2 represents a longitudinal section of the same. Fig. 3 represents a transverse section of the hopper and feed-helix. Fig. 4 represents a perspective view of the end of the bottom of the hopper with the lower half of the tapering nozzle broken away and removed, and the upper half of the tapering nozzle broken away and removed, and its base lifted out of the seat upon the front of the bottom ofthe hopper.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the figures. 7

Referring to the drawing, the reference"- numeral 1 indicates a hopper having its sides downwardly flaring and bearing with the edges of such sides against the edges of a bottom-portion, 2, having vertical ends, 3 and 4, and inwardly slanting sides, 5, which merge into a bottom,'6, of segmental crosssection. The hopper is preferably secured to the bottom-portion by means of hinges, 7 at one end, and by a hasp and staple, 8, at the other end. An outwardly tapering lower portion, 11, of a tapering nozzle extends from a circular opening in one end of the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 2, 1915.

ed with the rounded bottom of said portion, to form the lower portion of a tapering nozzle, and asimilarly shaped upper nozzleportion,; 12, fits with its straight lower edges upon the straight upper edge of the lower nozzle-portion to form a complete tapering nozzle. The outer ends, 13, of said nozzleportions are formed with a steeper taper to contract the outer end of the nozzle. The

- bottom portion and is concentrically round 1 inner end of the upper nozzle portion has an upwardly and-laterally projecting plate, 14, the lateral'fianges, 15, of which are slidablev in flanged ways, 16, upon the end of the bottom-portion. Screw-bolts, 17, are pivoted upon the sides of the lower nozzleportionand can swing up between slotted ears, 18, upon the sides of the removable upper nozzle-portion. when the latter is, in place with its flanges in thelflanged ways,

and the two portions can be drawn firmly together by the thumb-nuts 20, .upon the hinged screw-bolts. A drive-shaft, 21, has

a motor, 22, or whatever other rotary drivmg means may be convenient to rotate 1t, and the end of said shaft has a forked end,

'23, the sides, 24, of which have longitudinal open-ended slots, 25. A spindle or hub, 26, is revoluble in the tapering nozzle and has a tenon or shouldered tongue, 27, at its inner end, through which is secured a transverse bolt, 28, and the tongue can enter the forked end of the drive-shaft and have the ends of its-bolt enter the open-ended slots in the sides ofthe fork, so that. rotary motion can be communicated to the spindle. The spindle has a taper to theportion 29, withinthe taperednozzle which taper is at the same angle to the axis of the nozzle as that of the nozzle, and spiral flanges, 30, are secured upon the spindleat equal distances from each other and of a height to just clear the sides of the nozzle, so that the spaces be tween the flanges will be equal at all points and an equal amount of dough is fed out ward by the helical feeder to the end of the nozzle at all points of the same until it downwardly tapering hopper.

' While the feeding device is particularly v pack or bridge, as is liable to happen in a Such hoppers have been the cause of serious accidents, as the attendant would reach into the hop per with his hand to force the dough to'the feeder screw and would get caught and either have his hand crushed or fingers broken or cut off. In' the present hopper the dough falls freely in the larger space, and will be carried forwardby the helical feeder without any choking, packing or bridging. The inclined sides of the bottom portion will admit of the dough rolling by gravitytoward the helical fe'eder,-and the 15 circular outlines of the helical feeder, working opposite the concavocylindrical' bottom, substantially scraping the latter clean, so that there will be I10 opportunity for dough" to collect in corners and turn sour,

nor will there be a great deal of cleaning, necessary when the machi ne is stopped for cleaning.

By tilting the hopper back and removing.

the upper portion of the nozzle, the helical feeder can be removed, and the entire apparatus is'conveniently accessible for complete cleaning.

designed for pretzel machines, it is evident that it may be used for feedingother dough or for feeding other plastic material.

Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be employed for the mode claims are employed.

downwardly diverging sides secured with. their lower edges to the upper edges of said diver in sides a ta erin nozzle and extending from one end of the bottom-portion and axially projecting from the same, and a helical feeder having its flange in close Copies of this patent may be obtained for proximity to the inner surface of the segmental bottom-portion and ofithe nozzle and axially rotatable in the-bottom-pbrtion and nozzle. a t

2. In an apparatus of the character stated, abottom-section having a bottom segmental in cross-section and a circular opening. in

one end, a'h0pper;closing said section, a nozzle-section. tapering outward from the lower half of said opening, an uppertaper ing nozzle-section having its edges-fitting upon the edges of the lower section and lateral guide-flanges at itsin'ner end, over lapping gulde flanges at the sides of the opening in the end of the bottom section to receive the flanges of the uppernozzl-section, and a helix axially rotatable bottom. section and nozzle.

3. In apparatus of hecharacter stated, a bottom-portion formed with inwardlyslanting sides and with a bottom segmental in cross-section and with a nozzle-section extending from thelower part of a circular openlngln oneaend and S6I1'11-C]I'Ol1l2tf 111 in the Z cross section andoutwardly tapering and also formed with fiangedzguide-ways upon its end registering with the upper'edges of the lower nozzle-section, an upper nozzle section likewise tapered and semicircular in cross section having lateral flanges engaging the guide-ways and having its edges fitting against the edges of the lower nozzle-section, means at'the sides of said nozzle-sections to detachably secure the same together,

a hopper having downwardly flaring sides fitting upon the upperedges of the bottomportions and hinged at oneedge to the same i and locked at the opposite edge thereto, a rotatable hub in the bottom-section and in the nozzle and having a taper parallel to that of the nozzle, a helical flange upon said hub and having its outer edges closely fitting toward the interior of the nozzle, and a drive-shaft in'one end of the bottom-portion and detachably engaging the end of the hub.

Witnesses:

JOHANN J .INAsrmiM, THos. LEQLEUR.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

WILLIAM EHRnART. if 

